February 2009 Archives

GIRLS aged five to nine are invited to take part in new coaching sessions at Hillingdon Athletics Stadium in Gatting Way, Uxbridge.

Middlesex County FA is setting up the project with the aim of providing a safe and fun environment for girls only, where they can learn the basics of movement, ball familiarity and decision making, with each session ending in a four-a-side game.

The sessions take place on the Astroturf pitch on Monday's, 5-6.30pm. Parents are encouraged to block book at a cost of £9 for six weeks but they can pay £1.50 each week.

See www.middlesexfa.com/Development/WomenAndGirls/ForthcomingEvents/ or call Sue Haynes on 020 8515 6909 for more information.

CHILDREN got the chance to act out their ambitions of becoming zoo keepers when a range of exotic animals descended on their nursery.

The Animal Workshop visited the toddlers at The Young Ones Nursery, in Gatting Way, Uxbridge as part of their 'What Do You Want To Be When You Grow Up' week.

Animals on show included a skunk, a giant toad, snakes, tortoises, stick insects, ferrets, cockroaches, and lizards.

Becky Thompson, nursing manager, said: "It was very good, all of the kids enjoyed it.
"they liked the toad the best and also enjoyed the ferret doing a dance.

"The kids were all also able to take home a cuddly toy, the parents were all very happy."

Also as part of the activity week, the nursery had visits from the police, the fire brigade, and the army, all hoping to inspire the children onto greater things.

For pictures click on Videos and Pics.

Brunel University will be hosting a series of free lectures on hot topics delivered by worlds leading academics in a bid to engage in high class debate with the public.

Lectures are designed to be as interesting as possible with three speakers per evening, each speakers talking for no more than 20 minutes on different aspects of the subject covered on the night.

Then the talk is open to questions from the audience, allowing the public to challenge world-class researchers.

A wide range of controversial topics are to be covered, from the consequences to war on terrorism on our society to the implication of nanotechnology, or the impact of new technologies in art and social relationships.

Some lectures are not be missed, with for example Professor Heinz Wolff, more famous for his TV performance, presenting its vision of the future development of technologies.
Also Fay Weldon, bestseller author, in a lecture named Sex and the Citizen will explore sex in the literature and try to see where art stops and when porn begins.

All these lectures starts at 7pm and do not require pre-booking with a bar also open for refreshments. The first begins on March 10, with the rest on March 12, 17, 19, 24, 26.

For more information, please visit http://www.brunel.ac.uk/news/events/lectureseries2009

A TRAFFIC build-up as a result of the Swan Bridge closure is continuing to back traffic up in Uxbridge.

Two weeks ago the bridge on Cowley Mill Road closed for five months, meaning all traffic for the Uxbridge trading estate is diverted through Rockingham Road and St John's Road.

Last week was half term week so the traffic did not cause any major headaches, but this week it is crawling at a snail's pace.

Harvindr Ubhi owns the News Hut in Rockingham Road, overlooking the traffic, he said: "The traffic is all day for 12 hours from seven in the morning until seven in the evening.

"I don't understand why it takes five months to complete the bridge work, it is causing so many problems."

How have you been affected by the bridge closure? Contact the Gazette on 01895 451030

POLICE are hunting two suspects who stole meat from a foodstore.

The theft took place at Tesco Express in High Road, Cowley on Sunday shortly after 6pm.

The thieves were both white, and believed to be in their 40s, and swiped over £25 of meat from the chiller before escaping in a Red Ford Escort which was parked outside the store.

The man is 5 ft 10 and the woman was wearing a black jacket, black jeans and brown shoes.

AN UXBRIDGE firm in charge of building the roof at Wimbledon's Centre Court has been forced to make redundancies as a result of the downturn.

Galliford Try, based on the Cowley Trading Estate, in Packet Boat Lane, Cowley, posted an interim drop in profits of £22 million, citing the economic climate as 'the worst housing market in decades.'

The company have been forced to save £1 million in redundancy costs, with 10 people being made redundant from the Uxbridge office.

A LIFELINE has been given to clothing retailers in the town centre who closed down.

Female clothing store, West One, closed its store in Uxbridge High Street several weeks ago, but has now reopened its doors to customers.

In addition to this, I 4 U clothing, which was just days away from shutting its store in the Mall Pavilions, Uxbridge, is continuing to operate after a solution was found to allow it to continue and for staff to keep their jobs.

A POPULAR fancy dress shop in Uxbridge has closed its doors after 22 years of business.

The Party Shop, in Windsor Street, has shut down and is being replaced by a Polish food store.

A sign is up at the fancy dress store thanking customers for their loyalty, and citing the difficult economic conditions as being the reason to cease trading.

Polski Sklep, which has been trading in Baker's Road, Uxbridge, will move into the new premises next month, and has already closed its current store in preparation for the news.

Volunteers from across the borough are being requested to join St John's Ambulance.

The organisation is seeking people who are at least 16 years old.

The South Hillingdon Division meet at RAF Uxbridge in Uxbridge Road every Wednesday at 7.30pm to 9.30pm.

For more information contact Keith Saunders 0781 737 2408.

A MOTHER has spoken of her delight after unexpectedly delivering her baby at home.

Claire Cooper, 29, of Waterside, Cowley described how her husband was with her as she lay in the hallway giving birth to little Sophie who came into the world ten days early on February 12.

Mrs Cooper said: "I'd been having cramps all day but it was nothing major, I later woke up at 3am but the pain was still not that bad. But we called the hospital just to be on the safe side and they told me I was in the early stages of labour and to call them when the contractions were two minutes apart.

"I felt like I needed to go to toilet not realising it was the labour pains and when I got to the bathroom my water broke.

I shouted out to my husband and as I was walking in the hallway I stopped and told him 'I think there is something there.' When he looked down he saw the baby's head coming out."

She said he laid her down on the floor and put a towel round the baby and then put the baby on her stomach. He then called the ambulance and went to call their neighbour for support.

Mrs Cooper added: "It was so quick when I think about it and it was a really nice experience to have been able to give birth to my baby at home. Sophie will definitely be told about this story when she is older."

Frankie Ferhat, 51, neighbour said: "I'd heard noises and realised later that Matt had been tapping very lightly on my door because he didn't want to wake anyone, and then I heard the sounds of a baby crying from next door.

When I went to the house I pushed the door ajar and there was Claire lying on the floor with the baby on her tummy and Matt was crouched down still on the phone to the hospital, it was just amazing. It was just so nice, just the two of them, such a lovely intimate thing for them to have experienced."